Paddymelon
Fruit, compared with Prickly (left)
Murray Mallee Region
Paddymelon
Open Fruit Showing Seed
 
                 
Paddymelon (Citrullus colocynthis)Class: Plants (Plantae) - Land Plants (Charophyta) - Land Plants (Equisetopsida)
Order: Vines (Cucurbitales)
Family: Gourd (Cucurbitaceae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Paddymelon (Citrullus colocynthis)
This Photo:     Fruit, compared with large glove
Other names: Bitter Apple or Paddy Melon

General Species Information:
Found in the Murray Mallee SA and possibly elsewhere
Fruits we've measure were between ~90mm up to ~180mm wide, with yellow flowers being ~25mm wide.
But this is a good comparision between the large and prickly paddymelons, as well as a mallee leaf.
The fuit is covered in transparent 'hairs', which don't seem to change much in size as the fruit grows. Being very 'fury' when young & small to barely visible when ripe & large.
The fruits are generally spherical, but can become eliptoid with age.

Copyright © 2011-2025 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 30-Jun-2011
This species is classed as If (Foreign Introduction)